(AP) -- ORLANDO, Fla. - A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that reliever Joaquin Benoit and the Detroit Tigers have reached a preliminary agreement on a $16.5 million, three-year contract.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal had not yet been announced.
The 33-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 1.34 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 60 1-3 innings this year as setup man for Rafael Soriano, who also became a free agent.
Agents Sam and Seth Levinson negotiated the agreement with the Tigers after reaching deals with Detroit for Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta since the end of the season.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
